Differentiation / Layered Curriculum using Technology in the English Classroom

Resources and Notes: Presenters - Carol Zortman and Marge Runkle


What is Differentiatied Instruction
Differentiated means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction. (Carol Tomlinson, 2000)

Places to go for more information
Marge's List of Web Resources

A great place to start
The Differentiation Toolbox


Carol Zortman's Evolution Using Differentiated Curriculum

My first attempts
Assignments are more layered than differentiated
American Contemporary Layers.doc
Frankenstein layers.doc
Victorian layers.doc

Second round of layering/differentiation
Getting closer to differentiation
Canterbury Tales A layer.doc Canterbury Tales B layer.doc Canterbury Tales layers.doc
Puritan layers.doc

Third round of layering/differentiation
HOT (High Order Thinking) skills are required for all grades (C, B, A)
Activities are divided into "colored layers" based on the folders available
Macbeth layers.doc
Crucible layers 2008.doc

Sources to create activities
Blogger - use for student journaling - FREE with Google account, can restrict views to class only, requires students to have an email account with any provider
TOONDOO - online comic strip maker FREE - use to review vocab - summarize a novel, story, or poem, etc
Discovery Streaming - must have a school account - requires a password
Brain Pop - NOT FREE - school license required - great for review or bell ringer, not just English topics - includes video, quiz, etc
Read Write Think - Excellent FREE site by NCTE for graphic organizers, lesson plans. For use by both teacher and student. Activities can not be saved; students must print before exiting. Most activities can be completed in a class period. Some would need prep ahead of time and then just typed in during a class period.



mrunkle@ycstech.org - Marge Runkle
czortman@ycstech.org - Carol Zortman

NOTES
- Differentiation
- Different modalities of learning
- Differentiating is layering
- Make it HOT – Higher Order Thinking Skills
- Present minimal requirements
- Move up to individual interest at higher layer
- Rubrics for guidelines
- ReadWriteThink – Newspaper collaboration
- Blogs for journaling
- Discovery Streaming writing prompts